Industrial Fire Erupts From Weyerhauser Mill in SW Washington Causing Unhealthy Air In Portland
Hundreds of thousands of residents in the southwest Washington and Portland and Salem Oregon areas are at risk of toxic air pollution, which is still ongoing
An industrial fire erupted Tuesday night at a highly incendiary Weyerhauser paper mill where wood chips burst into flame overnight. The fire was located at Nippon Dynaware Packaging in Longview, Washington, located on the Columbia River downstream from Portland, Oregon, and created a large plume of smoke that was still visible Wednesday morning. The air quality in Portland on Wednesday morning was classified as “Unhealthy” with an air quality index (AQI) of 174, as the prevailing winds blew directly towards Portland, carrying the plume of smoke into the city.
Residents in the immediate area were told to shelter in place as the fire sent enormous plumes of smoke into the air. By 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, a smoky smell was reported as far south as downtown Portland, causing residents to inquire if there was a nearby wildfire.
According to The Columbian, Terry Sinkler of Cowlitz County Fire District 5 told KOIN-TV that the fire started in some wood chips and may have spread to a nearby barge with more wood chips on board. So far, officials say the fire has been contained and no injuries have been recorded. The fire was still burning as of 4:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The Southwest Clean Air Agency issued an air pollution advisory Wednesday morning for increasing fine particulaate matter through Friday from the Weyerhauser industrial fire.
Smoke can cause a litany of health problems, including chest pain, fast heartbeat, coughing, stinging eyes, asthma attack, difficulty breathing, irritated sinuses and headaches, according to the advisory. It advised that sensitive groups take precautions, including children, older adults, and people that are pregnant, have heart or lung issues (such as asthma and COPD), or that have had a stroke.
According to the Longview Fire Department, a helicopter would be arriving Wednesday to drop water on the fire.
Nippon Dynawave has a history of violating health and safety regulations, but regulatory agencies only issue a slap on the hand for such egregious violations that harm the public. In July 2022, Nippon Dynawave was fined $4,000 the WA Dept. of Ecology, though the ecology department didn’t publicize the fine and violations until December 2022.
Ecology found that Nippon went over its discharge limits three times at the sanitary treatment plant in November 2020, according to a notice of penalty the ecology department sent to Nippon.
The mill also allegedly violated the permit in June 2021, the department said.
By going over these limits, the department said, Nippon violated some of its state permits.
In a written report, Nippon said this occurred Nov. 3, 2020, as a result of high pH chemical that went into the sanitary sewer system and thus the treatment plant.
Nippon Dynawave, based in Longview, Washington at a Weyerhauser site, has an annual revenue of $500 million, and approximately 1,000 employees in the pulp, paperboard, and paper mill industries.